Back to bad habits

The school board is back to its old tricks again — starting their bi-weekly Tuesday meetings later and later and then ending really late, like when it’s officially Wednesday.

This week Tuesday night meeting started 50 minutes late and didn’t wrap up until 12:45 a.m.

That means, those who showed up at 6 p.m. (on time) and stayed until the bitter end spent nearly the equivalent of an entire work day with the school board.

This used to be a rampant problem years ago, but former board President Mark Sanchez firmly gripped the reins and pulled things under control. He moved the meetings up (at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.), started them generally on time and kept them (for the most part) to a manageable length. By doing so, he greatly improved public access.

Democracy is way past my bedtime.

New board President Kim-Shree Maufas hasn’t had the same success.

Take a look at the trend for the last few months:

Jan. 13 — Start 6:15 p.m. End 9:45 p.m.

Jan. 27 — Start 6:14 p.m. End 8:23 p.m.

Feb. 10 — Start 6:20 p.m. End 9:15 p.m.

Feb. 24 — Start 6:30 p.m. End 10:20 p.m.

March 10 — Start 6:31 p.m. End 11:03 p.m.

March 24 — Start 6:50 p.m. End 12:45 a.m.

Part of the problem, say staffers and others who wish to remain anonymous, is the amount of time spent on commendations. While recognizing district staff and others for jobs well done is fantastic, should it take 40 minutes or more of a public meeting?

At this rate, members of the public who want to participate in school district decisions — from home or in person — have to stay up until it’s officially Wednesday to do so.